The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-02-24

An Interesting Episode in History-A
Story Told at Reception Given by
Mrs. FaGnani. Widow of the Eminent
Portrait Painter.
Especial Correspondence-1
PARIS, Dec. 3l.-Mrs. Fagnani, widow OF
the well known Fabian American portrait
painter, gave a reception a few days ago in
her artistic home in the Place Vendome to
the president of the New York Nineteenth
Century club and Mrs. Courtlandt Palmer.
Among the many guests who thrOnge'i the
drawing room was Mrs. Emily Crawford, the
Paris correspondent of The London Daily
News and of one of the leading New York
dailies. Mrs. Crawford is a most remarkable
woman, even i'll this city, which has always
been 50 famous for its clever queens of in
tellect-" Her head is "a perfect stOrehOuse Of
information. L often wonder where she gets
and how she keeps all the thousand and one
facts, great and small, that she always has at
the point of her pen and tongue. But Mrs.
Crawford has prodigious memory. She
possesses Jefferson's faculty for drawing peo-
pie out and learning from them all they have
to teach, and then she can read with the ra-
pidity of Macaulay, who used to run his eye
over the pages of book or the columns of
newspaper, and seize out all that was good in
them. Mrs. Crawford also shines in CONVEX
sation, and her strong Irish accent and bril-
liant Imagination led Gambetta to pronounce
her the Mime. de Stael Of the Nineteenth
century. So Mrs. Crawford was surrounded
by many listeners the other evening at Mrs.
Fagnani's reception, who were repaid for
their attention by hearing such. interesting
bits of unpublished history as the following:
This is the way the first meeting
brought about between the Prince of Wales
(1amtftta FRS & 'ray
the winter of 1S11-S, when the Paris worlds
exhibition was being prepared, Sir Cunliffe-
Owen, who represented England at Paris, as
be had two years before at the Philadelphia
Centennial, came to me one day and COM
planned of the rather unfriendly spirit shown
toward England by Senator krantz, who was
the director general of the exhibition then
organizing. Sir Philip asked NE if l would
not Use my influence with Gambetta, who
was even then the most powerful man in the
republic, and induce him to bring such pres
sure to bear Krantz that the English
hibitors would obtain fair play. When Sir
Philip had told me his story | replied
follows: Il am not surprised that French
republicans treat you and England with
GOODNESS, for Englishmen at home always
side with the McMahon party, which wishes
no good to the republic. Now, if the Prince
of Wales, who is in Paris at present, will
snow tUdfnDetJa some attention, VIII agree
to do what can to accomplish what you ask
After some further argument, Sir Philip
promised to lay the matter before the prince,
and the next day he returned to me and said
that his royal highness was quite ready to
make the acquaintance of the republican
leader, providing the meeting could take
place later in the year, because of some diplO-
matte negotiations then i'll train. l agreed,
saw Gambetta, told him of Sir Philips com
plant, and immediately the English section
of the exhibition met with all the considera-
ton that it could desire.
MANY weeks passed and l heard nothing
of the promised attentions of the royal prince
to the democratic tribune. So one day re-
minded Sir Philip of our previous converse
ton, and it was Immediately arranged that
the prince should invite Gambetta to break
fast, and was requested to make known the
fact to the future guest. therefore called
on Gambetta, and when had given him my
message he threw himself back with intense
astonshment and exclaimed: Is it poSsibler
And then assuming attitude that was
habitual with Embarrassing one leg under
him and looking over the back of his chair
be continued: What a blow this will be to
the reactionary party And now,' put in,
my journalistic duties taking possession of
me- since brought about the sending of this
invitation, may | ask favorF Certainly
replied Garnbetta- Well 1 resumed, Il
should like to know all that Is said during the
meal l will show you what intend sending
to The Daily News, and you may modify my
report in any way you please Agreed
said Gambetta as rose to go. At this
ment he took a portrait of himself which the
French workmen of Strasbourg had Just pre-
scented to him, and said, he handed it to me:
Please accept this little gift 1 have this
portrait now hanging on my walls at home,
and ON the back of it have written out this
episode which l am now relating; SO that
whatever becomes of it after my death, it
will always be regarded interesting his
torical relic
Several days passed and l heard nothing
of the breakfast. l began to fear that it had
fallen through. l feared that wind of it had
got to the British legation, and thence 10 the
Elysee palace, and that the prince had been
by reasons of state from making
this advance toward the republican party at a
time when the French republic was in the
power of monarchists, and many people be-
lieved that McMahon's successor would be a
king or emperor. Sunday evening of the
week i'll which had seen Gambetta | was
glancing over the papers in a restaurant on
the Boulevard when | heard the newsbovs
CRYING i'll the streets: breakfast of the Prince
of Wales to Gambettan And exclaimed to
myself: Is thi> the way GainDetta keeps his
wordF l thunderstruck. Hastily tax
ing n cab, | drove to the English embassy,
and calle,l for Lord Lyons private secretary,
who knew was to be of the party, and he
told me all that | wanted to know. 1t ap-
pears that the prince was delighted with
Gambetta, who was never in better spirits
than that day. He talked in his
most captivating manner, and the guests did
not leave the table until late i'll the afternoon,
an engagement of the prince compelling him,
to his regret, he said, to break up the enjoya-
BILE repast. l telegraphed that night this
highly important information to London; il
appeared the next morning in my paper and
The Daily News was the only journal of the
ENGLISH canital that contained a word about